Hannibal (2013-2015)

"Explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and a young FBI criminal profiler who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers."

- IMDB

I’ve seen Silence of the Lambs several times. It’s definitely one of my favorite films, at least top 100. Hannibal Lecter is an interesting character, and as a Mads Mikkelsen fan, I just couldn’t pass on the opportunity to watch this show.  Spoiler Alert.

Season 1

Starting with season 1 – While the show is called Hannibal, this show is more about Will Graham’s relationship with Hannibal more than anything else. Hannibal actually acts as a side character, at least at first, which is really genius. In fact it takes a very long time to actually see Hannibal attack or kill anyone, though we know what he’s up to. The show didn’t waste time in letting Hannibal pull a Mrs. Lovette to feed Will his “special sausage” with some breakfast egg scramble. That’s it, that’s the series. Hannibal making friends and feeding people to them. But the cooking montages are a delight..... hmm... 

Not only does sidelining Hannibal make him more foreboding, but we get to focus on Will who is an interesting character in his own right. He jumps into the minds of killers to help catch them. It must be really fun to film those scenes. Also, Will is a dog rescuer. He has a habit of picking up strays and adopting them. If any of those 7 dogs gets killed, I...... will let Will kill everyone in the room and then himself. The pilot was very strong and had lasting consequences all the way into the finale with Hobbs and his daughter, Abigail. It always felt like Hannibal was grooming Abigail for.... something. Hannibal’s motive is always curiosity so there is never any telling what his goals really are. That makes him even more dangerous. He doesn’t have an end goal, but everyone is right where he wants them to be..... hmmm.... 

The first half of this season was all about establishing characters, relationships, as well as fun cases of the week. That mushroom episode.... omg. And the body totem... dang. But the real show starts in Episode 6 when a criminally insane Gideon "strikes again" as the “Chesapeake ripper,” this only bringing the real ripper to light. The ripper being, of course.... Hannibal. This when you start hearing more classical music in the show. It may be Will’s design..... But it’s Hannibal’s orchestration. And the real mind games begin as the FBI’s most wanted is at arm's length............ that was an intentional pun if you know what I mean.  

One can almost be awed at Hannibal’s craftmanship as the Copycat AND the Ripper. With Will’s mental health beginning to decline, making Hannibal’s manipulation almost too easy, as we see through Will’s eyes, we don’t always know what’s real or not, all the while Hannibal works on his orchestration in the background.... 

The season finale ends with Will locked up where Hannibal might be one day. He is being framed as the Copycat Killer, but not before a moment of clarity when his suspicious eyes are directed to Hannibal. He knows. “Hello, Dr. Lecter.” The final words of the season.... Where does it go from here? And does it really take Will 2 whole other seasons to take him down? It’s Will that locks him up in the end, we know that much from the books. But that’s all we know going forward in what is already a very good show. 

Season 2

The opening scene of the season was this wonderfully choreographed fight between Hannibal and Jack. I first thought it was some sort of fantasy procured from Will but no, it's happening. This is the season where Will wants to take down Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Will tried using some reverse psychology tactic but Lecter wouldn't budge. Especially after those murders at the courthouse. "This killer wrote you a poem, are you going to let his love go to waste?" I know you're thinking what I'm thinking.... A third through the season, I just could not see how there were 3 seasons of this. Will was deep in his mission to analyze every detail of every murder and made the connection that he is a cannibal, that he pulled a Mrs. Lovette on all his friends, and poor Beverly just had to go snooping in his house... Well.... he sure sliced her up real good... Episode 6, once again, was a turning point of the season. I loved that whole dinner party scene - Chilton dropping the "Hannibal the Cannibal" line - actually every Chilton moment in that scene is iconic, especially the wink - Jack trying to test the food only to find 0 human remains because Lecter is 3 steps ahead of everyone else, Bloom and Hannibal getting it on (like that's not gonna lead to years of therapy later), Gideon's last supper... But the icing on the cake is the ending when Hannibal is composing a piece on his harpsicord as Jack finds Miriam. Hannibal's Orchestration. This is his design.

Evidence is finally placed to acquit Will of his alleged crimes and his eye is on the prize. Even after evidence is placed against Chilton. That encounter was spicy and executed perfectly by poor brainwashed Miriam. Chilton is dead now, right? Cut to more classical music and Will disrupts a wine sipping Hannibal. The episode ends with them sitting across each other continuing where they left off. I love how the next episode starts with Hannibal cooking the fish Will caught. Will and Jack are still playing the game. I love Will's line - "I don't want to kill you now that I find you interesting." Also love the end of episode 8 when Lecter is petting the lamb. That same scene, when Will has a gun to that guy who crawled out of the horse, that was a very intimate scene... Next episode, the Beast Killer ends with an "even stevens" as both have now sent someone to kill the other (at least Buster is okay). Did not expect to see the body mutilated, curtesy of Will apparently. Where is this going???

There are several things I would like to say. I watched Mr. Robot. Elliot wasn't a reliable point of view and neither is Will at times. My mind was all over the place, much like Will. In the past, even when it seemed like Will was sane, there was always something warping him. Part of me kept thinking this was all for the cause but I also kept thinking "has Will finally lost it?" Has his desire to kill Hannibal evolved to desire to just kill? Or is this his next move in this game of chess? There was a scene when Bloom was telling Will and Hannibal that she had no idea what was going on between them and I was like gurl same... No matter the confusion, it didn't stop Will looking like Hannibal when Will found Freddy doing what Beverly was doing - getting too close. I was hopeful Will snapped and that this would be her end... But alas, it was confirmed where Will stood. Well... kind of... The end of episode 10 left me having an aneurism. "If you can't beat him, join him." Is Will doing this to take him down? Will he get lost trying to do so? How much does Hannibal know?

Episode 11 does not take a breath and neither do I. Starting off with that bird eating scene. "I don't hide from God." Hannibal thinks himself greater than God. As the Verger drama thickens, everything is out in the open. Hannibal has removed the mask and is letting Will in even more. But with Will, the lines were still blurred between his path to Justice and his path to Hannibal's side. And I suspect Jack and/or Bloom must feel similarly to some extent. Lol my next notes were "Bloom knows,: why does he smell everything?" I won't add more to this. There were so many visual indicators that one is bleeding into the other, as in Will becoming Hannibal to take him down and/or Hannibal turning Will into his ideal partner. But now that it's confirmed that everyone is in on it, my next question is - how much does Hannibal know or suspect. He didn't look too surprised in that season premier. Like I said, it's Will's design, but Lecter is the true Maestro here. And there's a whole 3rd season. Even when the show ends, we'll know where Hannibal ends up. Dr. Lecter is always exactly where he wants to be. 

As it all comes together, the Verger plot is still brewing in the background. I loved Hannibal's face when Mason stabs his chair. This dude is crazy. After Mason steals Margot's uterus... which had her and Will's unborn child... Will drops the line "you don't want me to have anything in my life that's not you." "We're both alone without each other." Dang. I loved how Verger's guys told Hannibal to come with them and this man said he "preferred not too" and almost took down 3 guys in 3 or 4 hits. Mads used to be a dancer and gymnast. It is a delight to watch him work in these scenes. Cut to moments after this kidnapping, we find Mason going Joker as he feeds his face to Will's dogs... But at least they're alive. This episode ends and the song in the credits say it all... I have no response.

Season finale time! Is it the final showdown? Make a note that Hulu gave me no ads for this episode. 40+ minutes interrupted and I see why. Will ended season one with the line, "Hello Dr. Lecter." Well that's what we're all saying at the end of this season... I watched the last 20 minutes in full twice, and watched Will and Hannibal's final encounter a few times more. There is so much to talk about here. So many quotes. Many visual details. Comments about the music and the constant tick of a clock as we approach the fatal moments. I just... don't know where to begin. Typing this paragraph, I just had to go back to watch again. It... it hits hard... I read some reviews and I saw a couple people compare this to Ozymandias. And you know what... Yes. My reaction to the greatest Breaking Bad episode is actually the same reaction I had to this one. Very very few episodes of television leave me like this.

Hannibal crying, talking about how he tried to create place for them, that was him expressing his desire for an equal. Between Will's warning and the look in his eyes later... I think there's a part of Will that wants to fall into that as well. The blood on Will's face in one shot reminded me of the famous Hannibal mask as Hannibal walks free... leaving everyone alive??? Why? And what will season 3 bring?

Season 3

Bonsoir! Mads is in leather! What a great opening. Livin' large and eating good in France. "It's only cannibalism if we're equal." This whole premier was all about Mads and I was not complaining in the slightest. We then see Will who is on the hunt for Hannibal with his illusion of Abigail by his side... You just wanna give the guy a hug. He's just so sad. there's so much to unpack when he said "I forgive you" to Hannibal under the church. This is the season when he really starts to see.... a part of him did want to go with Hannibal last season. That part of him feels guilty for what happened to Abigail as well. There's a side to Will, that only Hannibal sees and accepts, that he is both afraid of and yearning for. I'm just tapping the surface here with this concept, but I just love how complex Will has become.

I also loved to see how Alana and Jack faired after the incident. Jack mercy killed his wife and Alana became an ice cold lesbian allying with that Verger freak. That's.... a whole story on its own... Jack followed Will to Italy and it really didn't take him long to reunite with Hannibal and another epic battle ensues following the crazy "bowels out or in" moment. Jack and Hannibal confrontations are the best. Will and Hannibal finally reunite themselves after Will's interesting vacation to Lecter Manor, and... a lot was going through my head; especially as things escalated quickly - as in half an hour later Hannibal started sawing Will's skull to feed his brains to Jack. But in a classic Episode 6 turn of events, they find themselves at the Verger Estate in the episode's cliffhanger... and Episode 7... I don't even know how to describe it. I find it hilarious that I find Mason so disgusting while I'm also over here swooning over Hannibal. Hannibal is not insane but wow, Mason is just crazy!

Episode 7 is definitely one of the best episodes of the series. I loved how much Hannibal enjoyed himself. It was like he wanted to be there more than anyone. He loves everything about this captivity. That scene with Hannibal and Alana though - "Could I have ever understood you?" "No." - Basically telling her that Hannibal and Will "understand" each other in a way no one else could... That's important, guys! Alana told him to "save Will" and released him to go to work and he definitely put maximum effort. I just want to point out that from the moment Hannibal drugged Will to the moment he was about to get his face sliced off, Will looked sooooo defeated and it was sad to look at him.

"I’m not gonna look for you, I’m not gonna miss you, goodbye Hannibal,” "I want you to know exactly where I am, where you can always find me.” He surrendered, he didn’t loose, he’s always right where he wants to be.

Now I understand this part of the season was from Hannibal and stole most elements from a story that really belongs to Clarice Starling. I want to put it out there that I think there was a way to bring Clarice in anyways. The Bates Motel made the whole last season about the events of Psycho, put their own twist on it, but still made it work authentically for the original movie as well as the world they developed on the show. I don't know how Hannibal would've gone on with Starling if the show were to continue, but I'd be able to ignore all of these source material changes so long as they stayed true to the characters and the essence of the originals while also being creative.

Season 3.5

3 Years Later - Hannibal is living comfortably and so was Will. But it's Red Dragon time. "This is my Design." Will Graham is back. "Hello Dr. Lecter." I loved that reunion conversation as every shot of one person showed the clear reflection of the other. The show will be doing this a lot, won't it? "You didn't die enough." Seriously, I can't believe Freddy Lounds is still alive. "You called us murder husbands." Bruh. 

Some other iconic moments leading to the end of the series: It was so satisfying to see Hannibal in his iconic mask after all this time. "I'd have to be a fool" > cut to Chilton. That one photo with Will and Chilton isn't a T-shirt, it's a tattoo. 🤣 "Think about me." Hannigraham fans have more than enough moments to gush about. "A rational society would either kill me or give me my books." Hannibal swallowing Chilton's lip lives in my mind rent free. "You made a bargain and I spun you gold." Yeah, I totally said "all magic comes with a price" after that line.

Before I discuss the final moments, I just want to point out that we don't see Hannibal kill as many times as we know he's killed. I'd say, we witnessed less than 10 deaths in total while we've seen more victims than that. I don't know if this was a weird censorship things, because we've definitely seen plenty of gruesome deaths. To me, it's like the Last Airbender. We didn't see Ozai's face for 2 whole seasons. Just a silhouette & his voice. That was very intentional and made him more menacing. I'd like to think this was Hannibal's goal as well.

When I describe any series final, there are exclusively 2 words in my vocabulary – satisfying & unsatisfying. The big series finales I came across last year were Mr. Robot & Breaking Bad, and those were as solid as series finales can be. Satisfaction only lies in the idea that the characters received justice in how their story was told from start to finish. The show was called Hannibal, but the show was about Will’s relationship with Hannibal. This relationship was all that mattered in the satisfactory judgement. Those last 10 minutes were crucial as Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter were confronted by the Tooth Fairy. These 10 minutes alone dictated whether the show was perfect from start to finish. I realized during my meditation following the credits – Hannibal is unique because the show itself doesn’t fall in line with my satisfactory scale. Rather this relationship that we’ve followed for 3 seasons brought a new word to my dictionary – Poetic.  

Will & Hannibal killed this man and it felt like I was watching art. They used Love Crime by Siouxsie rather than some epic classical orchestration, which I think was more for Will while also representing his relationship with Hannibal. Will’s final hit was the same wound Hannibal inflicted on him in Season 2, while Hannibal the Cannibal bit his throat out. The self-proclaimed “Red Dragon” bled out with wings behind him. Hannibal and Will embrace. Hannibal begins his sentence with the word “seeeeee.” ending the series with a word that started the series. “This is all I wanted for you.” “It’s beautiful.” Sploosh they plumet to the sea. That was poetry, guys. 

Those final lines of dialogue after this incredible sequence were everything that the show was about. Hannibal was not about Hannibal. It was about Will’s relationship with him. The phrase “falling off the edge" symbolizes Will’s relationship, sanity, and morality. It’s always fun to dissect Hannibal Lecter as a character, but this show, through the use of Hannibal, dissected Will Graham, who had to think like a killer to catch them while always on the verge of "falling off the cliff" becoming one. In the end, he fell off that cliff with the very person that wanted him to do just that. And of all the patients he tried to twist and manipulate, Will was the "Lamb" to his "God." Does Hannibal love him? Well, he thinks of Will as his equal who understands him just as much as he understands Will. I’d say that’s his definition of love. 

the Silence of the Lambs - Season 4?

So this is how the series is essentially broken down: Seasons 1-2 is the Hannibal show, Season 3 was the Red Dragon & Hannibal. Naturally, Season 4 would have to be Silence of the Lambs? But how would it have been like? There were changes from the source material to bring us the Hannibal series, but not only did it stay true to the essence of the franchise, as is, it stands alone as psychological drama about Will Graham while also paving the path for Agent Clarice Starling to walk down those halls with the Buffalo Bill case in hand, despite them already taking some of Clarice's story and making it Will's.

Season 4 would either let Will die in the fall to the ocean, integrate him into Clarice's story, replace Clarice entirely again, or just write him off completely with the possibility of a cameo. I don't like either of these options. I can create a head canon with one of these scenarios on my own, but to see it may tarnish the poetry of the series finale while also corrupting our ability to jump from Mads Mikkelsen to Anthony Hopkins - which is now not a hard jump to make as long as I ignore the fact that they used material from the Hannibal book in seasons 2 & 3. I love how Clarice's story went in the books, and I'm scared the show would've ruined it to the point I wouldn't enjoy it. Anywho, it may be for the best we only got 3 seasons. Short, delectable, and intimate. Hannigrahams rejoice!

Now if you excuse me, I gotta take this liver with some fava beans to-go. I got a phenomenal movie to watch.

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★

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**Post Edit**

The entire time I watched the show, I was constantly comparing this show to the Bates Motel. Psycho & the Silence of the Lambs are 2 films that got modernized and complex prequel shows that both started in 2013 with a stellar casts and original yet authentic twists to the source material.

It was hard to pick which one I liked more as both hit me in different ways. I'll put it this way - Hannibal had the perfect writing while the Bates Motel had me more emotionally invested and traumatized..... 

I've already explained myself.... Don't @ me...